Our primary use case for this solution is an APM for application performance monitoring. For example, we deployed the solution on-premises so we could observe the solution. We look at the threats at the web containers, the data source, and all these components under this monitoring.
Manager, Database & System Administration at Awash International Bank
Helpful to observe threats at the web containers, data source, and components under monitoring
Pros and Cons
- "The application performance monitoring feature is valuable."
- "The application performance monitoring feature is valuable, and we primarily use it for user experience monitoring and determining which layer the problem happened to resolve it."
- "The initial setup process could be easier."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
The application performance monitoring feature is valuable. We primarily use it for user experience monitoring and determining which layer the problem happened to resolve it.
What needs improvement?
The initial setup process could be improved.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using the solution for one year.
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Nagios Core
October 2026
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What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is scalable but we are still familiarizing ourselves with tool and have not scaled largely yet.
How are customer service and support?
We do not have experience with customer service and support.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup process could be easier. For example, the setup for infrastructure monitoring is straightforward, but in the case of application monitoring, it is more complicated.
What about the implementation team?
We primarily implement through vendor teams.
What other advice do I have?
I rate the solution an eight out of ten. The solution is good, but the initial setup process could be easier. I recommend the solution to users who want a more diverse environment for monitoring.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Big Data Infrastructure Consultant at a government with 1,001-5,000 employees
Flexible, sustainable, and a great tool on the market
Pros and Cons
- "Nagios Core is very configurable. Whatever you want, you can do it."
- "Nagios Core is a great tool for monitoring the infrastructure including MSM queues, and when we use the agent, we can add other things as well."
- "I believe Nagios Core will need to provide an option for big data platforms in the future."
What is our primary use case?
Our primary use case is for Infrastructure monitoring.
How has it helped my organization?
Nagios Core is a great tool for monitoring the infrastructure including MSM queues, and when we use the agent, we can add other things as well.
What is most valuable?
Nagios Core is very configurable. Whatever you want, you can do it. We have multiple agents and scripts available with the Nagios Core portals and the internet. The cost is also very acceptable.
What needs improvement?
Datadog provides the compatibility to integrate with these big data platforms like Cloudera and others. These services are very efficient and they provide customer support with it. In this case, I believe Nagios Core will need to provide an option for big data platforms in the future.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with Nagios Core for the past five or six years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Nagios Core is highly stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Nagios Core is scalable for our purposes.
What about the implementation team?
The implementation was completed in-house because previously it was an open source tool. We can configure it to our own needs, based on our own requirements. The only task we had to complete is creating the script and using the tool. We had alerts created for our mobile phones, email and dashboard.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
When we look at pricing version eleven requires purchasing a license. With version seven no license was required since it was open source. When you upgraded to the licensed version only then did you pay for a license
What other advice do I have?
I would rate Nagios Core a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Buyer's Guide
Nagios Core
October 2026
Learn what your peers think about Nagios Core. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: October 2026.
921,028 professionals have used our research since 2012.
IT Specialist at ADDI
It's a free and flexible solution that integrates well with other products
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable feature depends on the project. It's great if you need to check to ensure a service is running 24/7. I can use the full solution for free, and it's flexible. If I need to add a dashboard, I can integrate it with Nagios. Cloud synchronization is wonderful."
- "The mapping is a little hard."
What is our primary use case?
We use Nagios to monitor networking infrastructure and services.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature depends on the project. It's great if you need to check to ensure a service is running 24/7. I can use the full solution for free, and it's flexible. If I need to add a dashboard, I can integrate it with Nagios. Cloud synchronization is wonderful.
What needs improvement?
The mapping is a little hard.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using Nagios Core for three to five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Nagios is 100 percent stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Nagios is appropriate for companies of all sizes, but a larger enterprise might require a bigger IT team. The largest team I've seen was 50 people. You can easily scale Nagios up, but I've never done it.
How are customer service and support?
Nagios support is good. They also have a complete knowledge base, so if you need to figure something out, you can find everything about the solution in one place.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I used Pandora about seven years ago, so I can only speak about the capabilities of the solution as it existed at the time. Pandora was excellent, but the documentation was too complicated.
How was the initial setup?
It depends on infrastructure, but normally Nagios is easy to deploy, and I could do it by myself. It usually takes two or three days, but I needed a week for one deployment. You need to install and configure everything and deploy the agents on various servers.
After deployment, you need to do periodic updates and patching. You download the latest pack from the Nagios server with the client. You can do an ATT update depending on if you have Red Hat or Windows between the platforms.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Administrateur reseaux at Orange
Allows me to monitor the network and see all the traffic passing through it
Pros and Cons
- "I like that it's very simple to install, easy to manage and deploy, and easy to use for monitoring."
- "I would like to see a sensor that shows the traffic of a user and what they're doing on the network."
What is our primary use case?
I use this solution to monitor my network. There are 25 agents in my country. This solution sends me notifications if any equipment is down.
It's deployed on-premises. I'm currently using version 4.3.3.
There are five people in my company who use this solution.
How has it helped my organization?
This solution is very important in my organization because it lets me see all the traffic passing through my network.
What is most valuable?
I like that it's very simple to install, easy to manage and deploy, and easy to use for monitoring.
What needs improvement?
I would like to see a sensor that shows the traffic of a user and what they're doing on the network.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have used this solution for five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It's stable. The performance is good.
How are customer service and support?
It's very stable, so I haven't needed to contact technical support.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I previously used SolarWinds. I switched to Nagios Core because it's a unique solution, it's easy to install and troubleshoot, and there's a lot of documentation on the internet.
How was the initial setup?
I downloaded the Linux image from the internet, set up my server, and launched the setup. It took 10 minutes to install. During the last installation, I activated automatic system updates.
What about the implementation team?
Deployment was done in-house.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Nagios Core costs less than SolarWinds. There are no additional costs.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate this solution nine out of 10.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Systems Administrator at Mentor Graphics
Useful network connectivity checks, reliable, but graphical interface lacking
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable feature of Nagios Core is the ability to check the availability of the server for network connectivity. Additionally, the interface is good."
- "We are using Nagios Core on a VM and it's working very well, even though the specs of the VM are very low because it doesn't require much storage."
- "Nagios Core can improve the graphical interface, it would make things a little easier."
What is our primary use case?
We are using Nagios Core mainly for servers. We check the network hardware connectivity. We check for the availability of the network and for hardware failures.
We have deployed Nagios Core on a VM and it's working very well. The specs of the VM are very low because it doesn't require so much storage
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature of Nagios Core is the ability to check the availability of the server for network connectivity. Additionally, the interface is good.
What needs improvement?
Nagios Core can improve the graphical interface, it would make things a little easier.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Nagios Core for approximately five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability of Nagios Core has been good in our usage.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Nagios Core is scalable for our needs. We don't have many servers and network activity, we have approximately 200 nodes, and it's fulfilling our requirements.
We do not have plans to increase our usage of the solution this time but maybe in the future.
How are customer service and support?
We do not have support for this solution, it is free.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have not used another solution previously.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of Nagios Core is not complicated, once you are used to it, it can be easy. The full implementation took us approximately three hours.
I rate the initial setup of Nagios Core a three out of five.
What about the implementation team?
We maintain Nagios Core in-house.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We are using the free version of Nagios Core.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I have evaluated other solutions.
What other advice do I have?
This solution can meet basic requirements. If someone is using it on a larger scale they might have difficulty managing it.
I rate Nagios Core a seven out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Partner Technical Support & Escalation Manager at a tech vendor with 51-200 employees
We are using the free version, and we can monitor pretty much everything we want to
Pros and Cons
- "It is fairly easy to set up, and we can monitor pretty much everything we want to."
- "We're using the free version, which limits us in terms of the things that we can do. If we had the paid version, a lot of our issues would probably go away. For example, we can't isolate instances that are being built or updated with the production ones. When they're being built, on Nagios, they're showing in red. It'd be nice to be able to partition those off until they're all green, and then we can bring them into the environment. This is probably because we've got the free version and not the paid version. If we went for the paid version, it would probably allow us to do exactly what we want to or remove the restrictions that we have, but if we are able to isolate instances in the free version, it would make life much easier."
- "We're using the free version, which limits us in terms of the things that we can do."
What is our primary use case?
It is used for monitoring services on a bunch of virtual machines.
In terms of the version, we're fairly up to date. We are perhaps not the most up-to-date, but we're fairly current.
How has it helped my organization?
It provides visibility of the platforms.
What is most valuable?
It is fairly easy to set up, and we can monitor pretty much everything we want to.
What needs improvement?
We're using the free version, which limits us in terms of the things that we can do. If we had the paid version, a lot of our issues would probably go away. For example, we can't isolate instances that are being built or updated with the production ones. When they're being built, on Nagios, they're showing in red. It'd be nice to be able to partition those off until they're all green, and then we can bring them into the environment. This is probably because we've got the free version and not the paid version. If we went for the paid version, it would probably allow us to do exactly what we want to or remove the restrictions that we have, but if we are able to isolate instances in the free version, it would make life much easier.
In terms of new features, we're just using it for what it is. We are using what we've got now. We don't have any additional requirements as far as I'm aware.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for four or five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is fine. There are no concerns there. Our biggest challenge is that we get a lot of timeouts, but that seems to be because of our network setup. There are a whole bunch of spurious events being reported, but they're more timeouts in getting to the Nagios agents.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It seems to be all right at the moment. We don't seem to be having any problems with that. We have upwards of 20 users, and it is being used on a daily basis.
How are customer service and support?
I have not contacted them for a long time.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Nagios is the first one.
How was the initial setup?
From what I heard, it didn't seem difficult to set up. It was quite straightforward.
We're still rolling out and deploying new instances of VMs that we want to monitor. It's an ongoing process.
What about the implementation team?
We deployed it ourselves. Its maintenance is done by one or two people.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We are using the free version.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend it to others. It does what it is supposed to. It is pretty good.
I would rate it an eight out of 10.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Senior Software Engineer at Peristent Systems
A good solution with alerting features
Pros and Cons
- "Dashboard provides monitor of total assets."
- "The features of Nagios Core that we find most valuable are the plugins we use, we can check the uptime and see how many servers and routers and create groups accordingly."
- "Nagios Core would benefit from aggregations if a particular server goes down."
What is our primary use case?
We use Nagios for one of our customers to monitor all the servers, firewalls, routers, and cameras. While monitoring the server we get alerts, this enables us to raise a ticket and notify end users that we are aware of the issue before they need to notify us.
We have 80 people using the dashboard and getting the alerts. Depending on the number of servers, routers, and firewalls we are monitoring in current clusters. When one cluster goes down, it will automatically take data from another cluster.
We support 24/7 because our client is a financial company, if the critical servers go down, they would face financial issues.
What is most valuable?
The features of Nagios Core that we find most valuable are the plugins we use, we can check the uptime and see how many servers and routers and create groups accordingly. From these groups, we can check how many servers and routers go down.
We also like the alerting features. One of the dashboards they provide monitor total assets and how many are up and how many are down.
What needs improvement?
If we need to process quicker, we use third party plugins to avoid downtime.
Nagios Core would benefit from aggregations if a particular server goes down.
Comparing Nagios UI and Nagios Core, in Nagios Core we need to do some coding while Nagios XI has everything in UI. If you go with Nagios XI the developer task is minimized because they help provide the UI. With Nagios Core, we need to log into the Linux servers and we need to change that particular directory. We need to write a code for each and every server.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with Nagios Core for two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
We deploy Nagios on a cloud, so there are features like plugins. The help desk tickets plugins so we can monitor the lock files as well from main server and create dashboards.
The security-related features also are there to monitor antivirus and install or not on each and every server.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We were working with ELK. Due to costing we switched to Nagios Core because it is free for the alerting feature.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of Nagios Core is straightforward. We installed as per the steps mentioned in Nagios' documentation. It can be deployed in a day.
What about the implementation team?
I completed the installation myself.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Most of the features in Nagios Core are free. Most plugins are free.
What other advice do I have?
When considering Nagios Core you should consider how many servers, firewalls and routers you need to monitor. Then determine which services need to be monitored by Nagios Core and how many service alerts are needed so you can create clusters and keep your gig size and RAM size accordingly.
I would rate Nagios Core a 7 out of 10.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Information systems manager at Golfera
It's a stable solution for infrastructure monitoring, but it's complex to set up and use
Pros and Cons
- "Nagios Core is stable."
- "The dashboard and monitoring features could be improved."
- "Nagios Core is not easy to use, so I don't recommend it for everyone."
What is our primary use case?
I'm primarily using Nagios Core to monitor infrastructure like servers, virtual machines, and telephone usage like IP-DECT antennas. I don't use all of Nagios Core's data functionality. I only use the monitoring features.
What needs improvement?
The dashboard and monitoring features could be improved.
For how long have I used the solution?
We've been using Nagios Core for about five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Nagios Core is stable.
How was the initial setup?
The Nagios Core setup is complex, but I can handle it all myself.
What other advice do I have?
I rate Nagios Core seven out of 10. Nagios Core is not easy to use, so I don't recommend it for everyone.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Linux System Administrator at Amity Software Systems Limited
A stable and easy-to-set up open-source monitoring tool
Pros and Cons
- "We mostly use Nagios Core to integrate with Python and Bash Script."
- "Nagios Core does not have a graphic display."
What is most valuable?
We mostly use Nagios Core to integrate with Python and Bash Script. If there is a requirement from the client to monitor these services, and Nagios Core does not have the features, we integrate Python and Bash Script with Nagios Core to monitor the services.
What needs improvement?
Nagios Core does not have a graphic display.
For how long have I used the solution?
My company has worked with Nagios Core for the last six years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I rate Nagios Core ten out of ten for stability.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I rate Nagios Core ten out of ten for scalability.
How was the initial setup?
Nagios Core's initial setup was not difficult for me.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Nagios Core is a cheap solution.
What other advice do I have?
Nagios Core is a world-famous open-source monitoring tool. It is easy for us to showcase a Nagios Core demo to the client.
Overall, I rate Nagios Core ten out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Hybrid Cloud
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Support on banking at Aithent
Helps to monitor server applications
Pros and Cons
- "We use the product to monitor server applications."
- "The tool needs to improve the integrations."
What is our primary use case?
We use the product to monitor server applications.
What is most valuable?
I am impressed with the product's alerts and reports.
What needs improvement?
The tool needs to improve the integrations.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The tool is stable. I would rate its stability a six out of ten.
How was the initial setup?
The tool's setup is straightforward.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I would rate the solution's pricing an eight out of ten.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate the product a six out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
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Updated: October 2026
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